NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



285 



Brown, for his invention of a new and use- 

 engine for producing- power, by which wa- 

 may be raised, machines worked, and ves- 

 i propelled, without the aid of steam, upon 

 complving with, all tho provisions of the 

 era! acts of Congress relative to the issnin:^ 

 ers patent for inventions and improvemeni.-. 

 ept so tar as the said acts require, on the 

 t of aliens, a residence of two years in the 

 ted States. 

 I'afhingtoii, Feb. 24, 1824. Approved. 



From the Old Colony Memorial. 



rut TRUSTEES OF THE PI.YMOrTH COUNTT AG- 

 RICUI-TCRAI. SOCIETY. 



take (he liberty to communicate the follow- 

 particular,' respecting the culture of wheat 

 past season. 



L'he land measuring half an acre and twelve 

 ?, consists of a rich loam, but a smnllpart of 

 erv gravell}' and apt to suffer by drought. — 

 reduced a tolerable crop of Indian corn and 

 utoes the two preceding seasons. In April 

 it was covered with a lull coat of stable 

 ure, and on the 15th and IGth of the month, 

 was ploughed twice and harrowed ; after 

 ch the wheat and grass seed being sown it 

 again harrowed. The wheat was immers- 

 n sea water for twenty-four hours and aftei- 

 ds rolled in lime. The qi;antit3' sown vvas 

 bushel, and of that species of wheat from 

 y, the straw of which is employed to make 

 •horn bonnets. The wheat exhibited the 

 t favorable appearance during the season, 

 rely free from smut or mildew and in Au- 

 . it was harvested. The produce is eigh- 

 ii bushels, cue peck and two quarts. The 

 in is remarkably well formed, and being 

 lund and bolted, the fiour is not inferior to 

 superfine flour brought from the southern 

 es. The land is now covered with a supe- 

 growth of clover and herdsgrass. 

 'his is among the instances in proof, that our 

 late and soil are well adapted to the pro- 

 tion of summer wheal. One of my indus- 

 us neighbors obtained, a few years since, 

 1-2 bushels from one acre ; and anolher'has 

 nded in his family no other flour than the 

 Bucc of his own soil for the last five years, 

 farmers in this county are greatly deficient 

 leir attention to this object, though it is be- 

 ed that every farm would afford suitable 

 to yield wheat sufficient for the consump- 

 of a family. On the principle of profit 

 economy the cultivation of wheat ought to 

 fLCOuraged, more especially as it is found to 

 he preferable grain to accompany clover 

 herd'^rass for mowing the ensuing year. 

 1 a:n, Avith respect, 



your obedient servant, 



JAMES THACHER. 

 'hjmoiiu:, .\ov. 1823. 



HE TRUSTEES OF THE PLTMOrTH COUNTY AG- 

 RICCLTBRAL SOCIETY. 



ENTi.EMCN,— The land that raised the Ruta 

 1 this year, I'or which I applied to your so- 

 y for the premium, is an enclosure of one 

 , on the edge of a fresh meadow, under 

 southern declivity of a hill, and commantl- 

 a plentiful wash from the adjoining high- 



iife ni the spring of 1822, it was newly en- 



closed and planted with corn and potatoes. — 

 About twelve loads of loam manui-e were put 

 into the hills. It suffered much by the drought, 

 but gave twenty bushels of Corn, one hundred 

 liushels of Potatoes and three or four cart luad.s 

 of Pumpkins. 



About the last of May, 182,3, it was plough- 

 ed, and on the IGth, 17th and 18th of .lune, 

 it was covered with about forty loads of sheep 

 litter and coarse barn yard manure, (and be- 

 ing very wet,) thrown into ridges, as high as 

 they could well be made three feet asunder. — 

 On the top of these ridges half a pound of seed 

 were sown, with a very simple hand-drill, in- 

 vented by Wm. Jackson, Esq. of Plymouih. — 

 The 29lh, .SOth, and 31st of July, it was hoed, 

 thinned, and the wants supplied by transplant- 

 ing. It had two hoeings afterwarcis, iind the 

 I3th of November the crop was gathered, and 

 amounted to 429 1-2 bushels, making twelve 

 stout cart loads. In some places the ground was 

 loo wet, and the crop almost entirely failed. — 

 1 have no doubt that in others the produce was 

 at the rate of more than a thousand bushels to 

 the acre. 



Expense of Cultivatjoti, vh. 



Twice ploughing with yoke of oxen, horse, man 



and boy, $4 00 



Ten days men and boys furrowing & planting, 5 00 

 Forty small loads coarse manure, 20 00 



Ten days men and boys, 3 hoeings, 5 00 



Four days men, boys, and team gathering crop, 2 00 



$3fi 00 

 Charging all the manure to this crop, it ap- 

 pears to have cost something less than eight 

 and a half cents per bushel to produce a food 

 for cattle, sheep or horses, decidedly prefera- 

 ble to any green vegetable, we liave hereto- 

 fore been acquainted with. 



This experiment, (which I consider almost a 

 failure, for I have no doubt 1000 bushels may 

 be raised from an acre at the same expense,) 

 I hope will induce the farmers of our county 

 to give more attention to green crops in gener- 

 al, and Ruta Baga in particular. 



WM C. HAMMATT. 

 Scitmte,lBth Nov. 1823. 



I certify that I assisted Mr. William C. Ham- 

 matt to gather and measure his Ruta Baga 

 above described, and that there was four hun- 

 dred and twenty-nine and a half bushels. 



JOHN SAMPSON. 



TO THE TRVSTEES OF THE PI.YMOCTH COUKTY AG- 

 RICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Gentlemen, — The following is an exact 

 statement of my proceeding and management 

 with an acre of land upon which I raised a quan- 

 tity of corn the present year, and for which I 

 have entered my claim for a premium from 

 your society. 



The land is situated on the westerly side of 

 my dwelling bouse and other buildings, and is 

 naturally of a deep rich soil. In November, 

 1821, when it was green sward, I foddered my 

 cattle, consisting of about twenty head, upon 

 the lot until may 1822, intending to prepare it 

 for raising a large crop of corn. In May, 1823, 

 I ploughed it very deeply into squares of two 

 feet seven inches in width. I then manured it 

 in the hole, putting on 64 cart loads of barn 

 manure. It was planted partly with what is 



called smutty white corn, and the rest with a 

 flesh colored corn, having a small cob, and 

 which is considerably used in the town of Mid- 

 dleborough. 1 was particular to have the ker- 

 nels plncod about 4 inches apart, and then cov- 

 ered in the usual way. By tho middle of July 

 the corn was spindled, and" giew very thick to^ 

 gether, filling every space, like a field of rye, 

 and the rows were scarcely discernabh;. It was 

 hoed three times only, and was j)hiughcd but 

 once, and that at the second time of hoeing, and 

 all the suckers were early cleared from it. On 

 the first of October, I gathered this acre of 

 corn, and carried it into a field in heaps, where 

 it was husked. It was then measured in a bas- 

 ket, shaking every basket full, that it might 

 lie as solidly as possilile. I employed two ilis- 

 intcrestoil men specially for the purpose ofnica- 

 suring. One other person also was [ircsont and 

 kept the tally for his own curiosity. All these 

 three agree in their reckoning, and miike out 

 the amount of corn to be 148 1-2 baskets. In 

 order to ascertain the amount of shelled corn, 

 the same basket was filled in the same manner, 

 averaging Ihe ears as to size, &c. by the same 

 persons, and then shelled, and measured by 

 them. The amount of shelled corn was three 

 pecks, si.i quarts, and one gill to a basket. This 

 method of ascertaining the quantity of shelled 

 corn was tried twice, and the results were alike 

 almost exactly. Therefore according to the 

 above measurement the acre of land prodnced 

 139 bushels, three pecks and one quart. 1 

 knew of no way of ascertaining the amount ol 

 corn produced I)etter than the one 1 adopted, and 

 presumed it would be approved of by the Board 

 of Trustees, as in the year 1821, I had the honor 

 of a premium from them for raising an acre of 

 corn measured in the same manner, producing 

 about 80 bushels. I was confident that 1 could 

 raise a greater crop, and was determined to 

 make the experiment, which I have done in the 

 present instance. 



Respectfully yours, &c. 



LEONARD HILL. 

 East-Bridge-ieater., A'ov. 3, 1823. 



Note. — Mr. Hill raised this year, on a small lot of 

 land, containing hut 89 rods, 34 bushels, 3 pecks, 6 

 quarts and one pint of excellent rye. 

 (To be continued.') 



From the Wilmington (Pel.) Watchman. 



To the friends of Inland JS'avigation, 

 Gentlemen, — Having completed a model 

 (made to a true scale) of my invention for saving 

 and reapplying water to canal locks, I have the 

 pleasure of announcing that on Saturday the 27th 

 inst. I shall commence to perform operations 

 upon said model, which will more than justify all 

 that 1 have permitted to be said in favour there- 

 of. The operation will clearly prove that 

 sluops or other vessels may readily be passed 

 through canal locks of 10 feet lift, in the short 

 space of 4 minutes, with perfect safety, and at the 

 same time, eight tenths of the water commonly 

 lost, saved and reapplied — which never has here- 

 tofore been done, to wit, saving and reapplying 

 the water, and at the same time expediting the 

 passage of vessels. An operation has already 

 been performed to the perfect satisfaction of a 

 number of intelligent gentlemen well acquainted 

 with the Arts and Sciences. 



Jamf.s Preston Fairlamb. 



